


that thing that happened that no one wants to talk about

by unnbrella



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Best Friend Squad (She-Ra), Comedy, F/F, Humor, i CACKLED the entire time writing this, idk why i keep going for that trope but i do, if you thought the other story was funny, its about the hands, micah is clueless as always, more shenangians, yall, you got another thing comin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:09:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24494803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unnbrella/pseuds/unnbrella
Summary: So. Catra and Adora require a lot of alone time, which is fine. And you would think that Bow and Glimmer would have learned something about that by now. But that’s... that's just not the case.They’d only caught a glimpse of it before Bow slammed the door shut again moments after opening it and regretted every decision he had made in his life up until that point. So, Bow and Glimmer just stand there in the hallway, frozen. Shocked.Oh. Oh god. They just can't... they can't un-see it.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 401





	that thing that happened that no one wants to talk about

**Author's Note:**

> This idea was suggested to me by red_rook (thank you!) after the "thing that happened" was briefly mentioned in my other story titled classy (part 2). You don't need to have read that one to understand, but that is where the idea for this was first introduced.

When Catra first moved in, it was great. Bow and Glimmer were _ecstatic,_ really. What could be better than rooming with all your best friends at once? But also. A lot of things have changed since then. Like. Catra and Adora need a lot of alone time, which is fine.

They go into the bathroom together sometimes and don’t come back out until, like, two hours later. They also look at each other weird from across the dining table sometimes, like they don’t want anyone else to know. But also, everyone else can see it too? So, you’re like? What’s going on? Stop being weird.

No one says anything, though. Everyone just kind of ignores them for the most part, with all the strange things they do from time to time. All the _secret_ things.

It’s different, for sure. But it’s fine. They have their own life. They have their own weird, annoying relationship that no one really understands.

So, you would think that because of all of this, something would tune in to Bow and Glimmer’s brains. Like a conscience, maybe. But that’s just not the case.

Okay. Adora has lived in Bright Moon for a long time. It was just the three of them against the world and all. So, they literally did _everything_ together.

Whoever woke up first was practically deemed responsible for going into the other two rooms and waking them up too. Sometimes they would hang out and talk in that person’s bed, for like, hours. Cracking jokes. Imitating each other like they do. Eating cake in bed was also a thing that happened once or twice, especially on Saturdays. Then they would all go downstairs together and get breakfast and that’s how the original best friend squad would start their day.

Now, Catra is great. They _love_ Catra. She completes the group, she does. All the best friend squad really needed before was that angry one in the group that tells them they’re being stupid idiots all the time but doesn’t actually mean it.

And if you know Catra, you know that she’s always been fond of personal space. But now that she’s dating Adora and everything, the two of them _also_ love personal space, but _together_ … if that makes sense.

Anyways, you’d think Bow and Glimmer would have learned something about that by now. They haven’t. They just… haven’t.

So, as Bow and Glimmer stand there, frozen. Shocked. Motionless on the other side of Catra and Adora’s bedroom door, they don’t really know what to do or say. They don’t even want to look at _each other_. They’d feel too… uncomfortable. Knowing their eyes had both just seen the same thing.

With Adora and Catra just… laying there, on the bed. In their own room, at least, but still. Kissing. And Catra’s hand… on Adora’s… down there. Oh. Oh, god. They just can't un-see it.

She was naked. Adora was naked. She still _is_ naked, on the other side of that door. They’d only caught a glimpse of it before Bow slammed the door shut again moments after opening it and regretted every decision he had made in his life up until that point, because if they didn’t become friends with Adora in the first place all those years ago, they wouldn’t have walked in on what they just did. Logically.

Sure, Bow and Glimmer may have seen Adora change her clothes in front of them before. They’ve always been comfortable with each other about things like that. But it was never fully… And this is an entirely different context. It can’t be justified.

At least, only _one_ of them was naked. They think. They didn’t look that hard. They didn’t have time. They didn’t stick around to find out. So… let’s just assume that only one of them was naked, which means. It could’ve been worse.

So, like, if both Bow and Glimmer’s eyes met each other’s right now, that would be like… double trauma. So, they just stand there. Staring at the closed door in front of their faces, eyes wide and bodies just completely stuck. Just… alone in the hallway.

They’d only wanted to say ‘good morning’. That was all they had signed up for today. Maybe chat a bit, but also not overstay their welcome too much because they _understand_ that Adora and Catra also need alone time.

They hadn’t said anything when Bow and Glimmer _burst_ into their room two seconds ago, just… being their optimistic, jolly selves. No one had. There was no time. Everyone was too shocked. Or maybe… Glimmer may have spluttered a panicked apology before Bow pulled the door closed again. Or she may have said “ _oh my god, my eyes_!” She can’t remember. It all happened so fast.

Like. Obviously, they do _that_. That is what couples do, isn’t it? Why did Bow and Glimmer not expect that? They just never thought… about it. Why would they? They have more relevant things to do. It makes sense, though.

Still, there’s a lock on that door. Glimmer is _positive_ Adora always had a lock on her door. It’s there for a reason. It’s meant for times like these. It’s meant to give you the privacy you so much require, and also prevent your friends from being mortified for the rest of their lives.

Glimmer blinks. Bow swallows. Bodies are still tense from the unfortunate incident that took place moments before.

Finally, Glimmer says something. Her voice is softer this time. “Do. Do we knock?”

“ _What?_ NO! Why on earth would we knock?” argues Bow, aggressively whispering. What kind of logic?

“To say sorry?! _I don’t know_!” To make up for the fact that they definitely _didn’t_ knock before? There doesn’t seem to be many options. What is the next step that one takes in a situation like this?

Bow presses his ear to the door, without even really thinking about whether he would later regret that or not.

Glimmer is almost too afraid to ask. She considers also trying to listen to what may be going on in there, but ultimately thinks better of it. She stays back instead, at a safe distance, biting her nails anxiously. “Do you hear anything?”

“SHHH!” he hushes, causing Glimmer to jump back in surprise before flashing him a deathly glare.

A minute goes by where no one says anything. The anticipation eats her alive. Finally, Bow speaks.

“They’ve gone quiet,” he concludes.

Neither of them is sure if that’s a good thing or not. Are Adora and Catra just… sitting there now? Are they gonna come outside and start yelling at them? Or do you think they’re just… continuing? Like nothing happened?

Maybe they didn’t even notice anyone walk in. No. They _definitely_ noticed. There’s no way they couldn’t have.

* * *

“They’ve gone quiet,” reports Adora in a whisper, pressing her cheek against the other side of the bedroom door.

She’d wrapped herself in the bed sheets like some sort of weirdly fashionable oversized dress and had tripped repetitively while rushing over here to check if the intruders had left.

“Do we,” Catra scratches the back of her head, standing behind Adora. “Do we go outside?”

“ _No_!” hisses Adora. “No. We are not talking about this. Ever.”

“Not talking about it…” Catra repeats, taking in this information. “I can do that.”

“Let’s just…” Adora steps away from the door, tapping a finger against her chin thoughtfully. “Let’s just wait it out, okay? We pretend it never happened. I’m sure they’ll forget about it eventually.” She brushes past Catra dismissively, smirking at her brilliant plan.

Of course, they’ll never forget about it. How could anyone? Especially the people that like to hold Catra and Adora accountable for _every_ little thing that they do. They’re definitely _never_ going to let this one go.

“Right. You’re right,” Catra exhales, relieved. She nods to herself in affirmation. “Waiting it out. Got it.”

* * *

The first encounter after that takes place in the kitchen. Bow had walked in there one evening for his daily ritual of a snack break. Eight O’clock. Everyone _knows_ Bow comes into the kitchen at eight o’clock because that’s when the kitchen staff brings out the bread buns.

So, logically, he assumes that he won’t run in to _you know who_. That is, if they’re in fact _also_ avoiding Bow and Glimmer like the two of them have been suspecting.

However, when he does saunter into the kitchen with positive vibes and no current recollection of The Incident, the first thing he sees is Catra, sitting on the counter and swinging her legs the way she likes to do, and Adora, surprisingly standing an appropriate distance away from her.

At least… they’re fully clothed. So, thank god, they appear to have been _just talking_ this time, but had clearly gone silent as soon as the visually scarred boy entered the area.

Bow stops, frozen in the doorway. They stare. He stares. No one says anything. What does one say in this situation?

Do they not want him to look at them? Would that be too disrespectful, considering what he’s seen? Has eye contact between them been ruined forever?

Just to be sure, Bow places a hand over his eyes so he doesn’t have to look at them. It’s best that he doesn’t, because otherwise all he sees is that _revolting_ image… with the kissing and the touching and the nakedness and NO. Stop.

Maybe if he can’t see them, they won’t see him either. At least, he convinces himself that is true.

Taking a confident breath, he proceeds into the kitchen, continuing his search for the bread buns, blinded by his protective hand shield and therefore not knowing at all where he’s going. The two women just follow him with their gazes, rotating their heads respectively.

All he’d wanted was an innocent snack, because it’s snack time. But also, this is a shared space. They all live here, which means… you are bound to run into each other every once in a while. Even when you don’t want to. Nothing wrong with that.

He locates his target, finally, grabbing as many of those delicious food things as his one available hand can carry. Then he lets out a nervous chuckle, hoping to ease the awkwardness somewhat.

“Buns,” is all he says.

Catra and Adora share a sideways glance.

Very smooth.

Bow races out of the kitchen with the intent of locking himself back into his room, where his eyes can be _free_ of unwanted, inappropriate images of his beloved friends.

* * *

You would think after a few days, things would start to get less awkward, at least a little bit. But… it’s actually been really difficult navigating through the grand hallways of the palace without running into someone you don’t want to run into. Like, what are the odds? This building is _huge_. But no. The best friend squad has been spending the last three days sprinting across corridors to avoid unwanted detection in order to get from point A to point B.

But, the weird thing is, they all know about it. The sneaking around. It’s not even secret anymore. They’re all just really bad at stealth, despite their profession.

For instance, while on her way to bed last night, Adora is pretty positive she saw a head stealthily poke out from behind a corner at the end of the corridor.

She had done a double take, squinting her eyes suspiciously in the distance. It disappeared from sight a moment after, only for a pink blur to suddenly go darting across the hall, followed by Bow’s distant whisper going, “did she see you?”

“Hmm.” Adora had stroked her chin thoughtfully, debating whether she should just ignore than or not. In the end, she proceeds through her bedroom door, deciding to let them get away.

* * *

The third encounter since The Incident occurs in a way that all four of them least expect.

Just when they didn’t think this whole messed up situation could get any worse, King Micah decides to invite them all to a ‘family’ dinner because he misses his children and thinks it will be good for all of them to spend some quality time together again, much to their horror. In other words: a perfect way for the kids to be reminded of the damage they had all experienced by forcing them into the same room.

So. They all sit there, gathered around the table, with Micah seated at the head, Glimmer and Bow on one side, and Catra and Adora opposite them. So, basically, they’re all literally facing each other, which… no one asked for. It just brings… bad, bad memories.

The palace staff sets a plethora of food on the table and everyone just kinda… stares at their plates for the most part, aimlessly poking their food with their forks. Except for Micah, who is clearly enjoying his meal, supposedly ecstatic to have his children gathered before him once again. Good for him.

So, all that can be heard for a long time is the awkward sound of silverware scraping against plates.

As Bow distracts himself with the comforting sight of all the food, he notices the bread buns that the staff so conveniently placed directly in front of Catra. She doesn’t seem to notice him looking at her, so that’s good.

He can’t exactly… reach over and grab them. It’s too far. Why is this table so huge? Shuffling through the options in his head, he _could_ just get up, walk around the table and grab them, but… that would be difficult to explain. _Or_ he could do that half-climb onto the table itself and just reach over like that.

Glimmer notices the boy’s discomfort, eyeing him from her spot at the table. _Oh my god. He’s sweating._

In the end, Bow realizes that all of those options are ridiculous. This whole thing is ridiculous. But also… they’ve gone too far now. They’ve just… made it such a big deal and now there’s literally no possible way they can come back from it. How much longer can they keep avoiding each other like this?

“Buns,” Bow’s voice cracks unintentionally and he clears his throat. He hadn’t even meant to say that. It just came out. “Pass the buns, please.”

Catra doesn’t look at him at first, but she notices the bread basket placed in front of her. She glances down at it, then up at Bow, then back down, then at Adora.

For a second, Bow thinks that she actually isn’t going to give it to him, and just… ignore him rudely. It wouldn’t be entirely unexpected from someone like Catra who can be really intimidating when she wants to be. So, he just stares her down, threateningly.

After much contemplation, she passes them over, in a much-appreciated civil way.

That is all that gets said between that little exchange.

“You four are awfully quiet, today,” Micah speaks up, breaking the tense silence.

The four of them exchange shifty glances, challenging one another. Who is going to speak first? Who is going to _explain_?

Bravely, Adora responds first, taking one for the team. Well, the team consisting of her and Catra. Not the other two. “We’re just… tired,” she lies, forcing an odd grin.

“Oh. Haven’t been sleeping well?” asks Micah, taking another bite of his food.

At that moment, Glimmer suddenly locks eyes with Adora. She raises her eyebrows knowingly, attempting to be subtle about it.

 _The two of you have just been sleeping perfectly, haven’t you?_ Glimmer thinks. Freaky bed people.

Adora blinks in surprise, wondering why she’s being stared down like that all of a sudden. She peers amongst the table to check if anyone else is noticing this. _Is she… is she trying to communicate with me?_

Glimmer makes another twitchy eye motion and Adora squints threateningly at her from across the table, as if to say to Glimmer, _don’t you dare make a joke about that._

The pink-haired girl looks as if she’s about to completely betray that silent request and say something utterly inappropriate that she knows her dad doesn’t want to hear. Ultimately, she offers her friend mercy. “Just fine, dad,” Glimmer smiles brightly.

“So, what have you all been up to lately?” Micah continues. “Getting into lots of trouble, I imagine. Better not be doing anything you’re not supposed to!” he chuckles at his own joke that’s not even really a joke. The conversation is very one-sided.

They all exchange telepathic looks again. Catra tightens her grip on her fork. Adora feels called out. Called out unknowingly by the King himself.

Their silent communications block out the sound of Micah’s voice completely.

The King laughs upon noticing their silence, though only to himself. “I’m just kidding,” He wipes away an invisible tear, “You kids crack me up.”

* * *

Eventually, Adora and Catra are the first ones to decide that the four of them need to finally have a _talk_.

Which… oh god. A talk? What could _that_ mean? It… it could only mean one thing. This is the thing they’ve all been dreading since the day of The Incident.

Because, this can’t go on any longer. They must put an end to the suffering. Or, at least bury it inside for the rest of their lives. That seems to be all they _can_ do at this point.

So, they gather in the living room, like some sort of weird ceremonial family meeting. And they all sit there in their respective pairs, across from each other on the couches, hands folded politely in their laps. Emphasized posture is suddenly a thing, as if it isn’t all so unusual already.

Bow wonders if he should say something. Does he speak first? Are they in trouble? Adora and Catra are the ones that called this meeting in the first place. So, logically, they should speak first. Introduce the problem. But they’re not. They’re just… sitting there. Watching them. Waiting.

Finally, Catra is the one who breaks the silence. “So,” she says.

Glimmer and Bow jump from the suddenness of it all. So aggressive.

“We. We should,” Catra presses her palms together, like she’s praying. Praying for it all to be over. She takes a deep breath. “We need to set some rules.”

Glimmer smiles uncomfortably. “Rules,” she repeats. Was that a question? No one even knows.

“Like… like a game,” Bow pieces it all together. “Games have rules,” he points out. Irrelevant. Maybe they _are_ talking about games? And _not_ That Thing that he’s pretty sure they’re going to talk about. It’s very unclear.

Catra pinches the bridge of her nose, exhaling at length. This is painful.

“Yes. They do.” Adora jumps in. Okay, they need to get to the point. “We feel… that… _knocking_ is a thing. Knocking on doors is a thing that should be advised. Under all circumstances.”

“Agreed,” chimes Glimmer.

“Yep,” Bow adds.

“You just… you just make a fist. Like this. And just…” Adora demonstrates with her hand, knocking on the invisible door within the invisible air. It’s not a difficult concept to understand. It never should have been.

Bow tries it, imitating her hand motion.

“Because _sometimes_ ,” Catra continues. “There are things that. Are not _worth_ risking… your sanity.”

“Yes,” affirms Glimmer. She really couldn’t agree more.

“I have none,” Bow informs with an assuring nod.

“Okay. Soooo… that’s settled then,” Catra concludes. Thank god.

“This is clear to you guys?” Adora must double-check.

“Crystal clear,” assures Bow. He gives them not one, but _two_ thumbs up. Just to emphasize his point.

Adora smirks, satisfied. “Good,” she rises to a stand, prepared to leave this behind for good.

Glimmer and Bow get up to leave as well, before Catra jabs an accusing finger in their direction. “And,” she adds in a low voice, somewhat composing her anger. “We are _not_ talking about this. Ever. Don’t even… don’t even _think_ about thinking about it. I _will_ cut you.”

Glimmer and Bow exchange frightened glances, finding no better option than to abide by the woman’s threats before she whips out the claws or something _worse_. How can someone be so _cute_ but also terrifying at the same time?!

“Not a problem!” beams Glimmer.

“Great, see you guys later!” dismisses Bow, weirdly energetic. He waves a hand as a quick farewell before he and Glimmer run off once and for all, promising _never_ to speak of this again.

**Author's Note:**

> I am SO open to fic suggestions right now. I've been writing like a madman during this fine quarantine.


End file.
